Amazon.co.uk: Northern Lights (His Dark Materials): Philip Pullman: Books

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The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials) by Philip Pullman

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Synopsis
This is the first in a trilogy in which a new universe has been created. A world where daemons swoop and scuttle along the streets of Oxford and London, where the mysterious Dust swirls invisibly through the air, and where one child knows secrets the adults would kill for.

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Customer Reviews

25 Reviews

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4 star:		(6)
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Well worth the read., 6 Jan 2001

By A Customer

I must congratulate Mr. Pullman on this work. It is a well thought out, diligently created and very rounded piece of fiction. The setting work is, perhaps, closing on Tolkein, but the book, and indeed the trilogy's major strong point is Pullman's superb characterisation. All in all, the plot, characters, and the clever subtleties and references within the book make it a very enjoyable read, and an absolute must for readers of "fantasy" novels, though I myself hate that lable. The book is suited to anyone with an inquisitive mind, though younger readers may not get full enjoyment as some of the subtleties are not easily grasped. It can be read on many levels and is thus not restricted, in my mind, to a particular age range. Finally, this book means much more when read as part of the trilogy as a whole - all three books are mini-masterpieces

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Stunningly Imaginative, 7 April 2000

By A Customer

I hate it when they call a book as good as this a Children's Book.

Pullman has created an utterly convincing world; teasingly familiar yet fantastic. A world which shape shifting daemons, witches and armoured bears inhabit alongside more familiar elements such as electric (or anbaric) lights, dishonest politicians, and a not-quite Oxford.

Where the book does frustrate however, is in its ending. The Northern Lights is (as it never attempts to deny) the first instalment of a trilogy and no attempt at any resolution is made at the end of this episode. The reader is left high and dry. Having said that, the book is marvellous and I suspect that most readers will, like me, immediately rush out and buy the second instalment, The Subtle Knife (Likewise worthy of 4 stars).

In conclusion, if read as part of the trilogy this is a book worthy of a full 5 stars, images and ideas will stay with the reader long after they have finished the book. I would not recommend it however to anyone who has no intention of following it up.